Harsh winter....... - February 21st, 2006 at 12:23 PM
It's turning into a rough winter for my houseplants. Can somebody help me out?
1: Aloe plant: lost a few bottom leaves (turned brown from the stem outwards)and a few babies just fell right out of the soil. Of more concern, on the top, in the center, where all of the leaves meet the crown, there is a blood-like substance. I dabbed it up one day, and it came back the next. I have it in a south window, behind a sheer curtain, near a radiator, and I water once-a-month-ish.
2: Rubber plant: Have slowly been losing leaves (turning yellowish-brown, from the tips down) all winter, but all of a sudden, I see a lot of sick leaves. From the looks of it, half of the leaves are going to be gone in no time. I have it in a north window, behind a shear curtain, near a radiator (there's radiators by most windows), and I water about once a week. I can't seem to get a clear idea about where to put this guy-I read high light, low light, medium light-I'm wondering what works for anybody else?
3: Ficus tree: noticed about 4-5 leaves with heavy webs on them-are these from spider mites? I've never seen such concentrated webs on leaves before. The tree's neighbors (a croton and false aralia) are currently under attack, and I'm thinking that something is going on with the calomondin tree, too. It's near a south window, probably the most humid part of the house, and I water about once a week.
All of these plants are on the second floor, and they're ALL having problems. The second floor is a bit warmer (especially at night) than the first floor (comfortable vs. freezing), but I'm pretty much out of room on the first floor. Does anyone have any defensive or preventative measures that I can take? Thanks for your help!
1: Aloe plant: lost a few bottom leaves (turned brown from the stem outwards)and a few babies just fell right out of the soil. Of more concern, on the top, in the center, where all of the leaves meet the crown, there is a blood-like substance. I dabbed it up one day, and it came back the next. I have it in a south window, behind a sheer curtain, near a radiator, and I water once-a-month-ish.
2: Rubber plant: Have slowly been losing leaves (turning yellowish-brown, from the tips down) all winter, but all of a sudden, I see a lot of sick leaves. From the looks of it, half of the leaves are going to be gone in no time. I have it in a north window, behind a shear curtain, near a radiator (there's radiators by most windows), and I water about once a week. I can't seem to get a clear idea about where to put this guy-I read high light, low light, medium light-I'm wondering what works for anybody else?
3: Ficus tree: noticed about 4-5 leaves with heavy webs on them-are these from spider mites? I've never seen such concentrated webs on leaves before. The tree's neighbors (a croton and false aralia) are currently under attack, and I'm thinking that something is going on with the calomondin tree, too. It's near a south window, probably the most humid part of the house, and I water about once a week.
All of these plants are on the second floor, and they're ALL having problems. The second floor is a bit warmer (especially at night) than the first floor (comfortable vs. freezing), but I'm pretty much out of room on the first floor. Does anyone have any defensive or preventative measures that I can take? Thanks for your help!